A classic, perennially popular anime series, Gegege no Kitarō [Spooky Kitarō] is based on a manga by Shigeru Mizuki, an artist with a reputation in Japan nearly as impressive as that of Osamu Tezuka. Mizuki's manga premiered in 1968 and was the first to highlight distinctively Japanese supernatural beliefs and legends. The first anime adaptation appeared the same year, and so far the story has inspired five anime series (339 episodes and still coming), nine animated movies, two live-action movies, and twelve video games.

The hero of the series, Kitarō, is a yūrei, not a "ghost" but an undead revenant with the ability to confront humans physically. However, he is friendly, serving as a guide to the realm of yōkai (supernatural entity) folklore. Though hundreds of years old, he looks like a young boy with only one eye and a thick cowlick that conceals the other side of his face. Mizuki's character was the inspiration for many one-eyed anime characters to come, including Zelgadis in Slayers and Ginko in Mushishi.

This gallery contains art from Kitarō 3 (1985-88). The series was redone using cels in the 1990s, with character development only slightly changed. But the 80s series is distinctive in giving Kitaro a human sidekick in his adventures, the engaging innocent in yokai-land, Yumiko-chan.
Many come with backgrounds that have been trimmed for sale. Evidently this was a standard practice by Toei, who for a time sold these sets as souvenirs to people taking tours of the studio. This typically makes it difficult to link these cels to episodes, or even to the right series. However, I've used a variety of hints, including condition and fine distinctions in design, to separate out the 1980s cels from their younger kinfolks.